According to IGN, Dead Space 3 will feature optional co-op play. It'll be drop-in, drop-out.…
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News that Dead Space 3 will be co-op isn't exactly surprising to me. I mean, it's being shoehorned into every game imaginable and that includes horror games, which it doesn't lend itself to very well at all. And we're seeing more horror games take this action co-op route. Games like Resident Evil 5 and 6 (although Revelations was a return to form for the series for me) Silent Hill Book of Memories and now Dead Space. But this also got me thinking, how can we make a Co-op game that's actually scary?

How about we keep the players apart for as much as possible during the game?

Now I know this seems to defeat the purpose of a "Co-Op" game but hear me out. Imagine this scenario, you're playing online with one of your buds and you come across an area that requires you both to split up for a while, however you can still communicate through your headsets even though you're apart. So you go your separate ways, you both are keeping each other company through your headsets, giving each other the rundown on your situations, what items you found and what you can see around you that can help you advance further.

Then suddenly, static begins to come from your headset, your friend is calling out to you but his voice is muffled then his line cuts off and you have no idea what's going on, then shit gets crazy on your side as things get dark, pitch frickin black and your only source of light is the flashlight mounted to your gun. Noises of something moving thorough the dark echo around you while all you can hear from your headset is absolutely nothing. What was once a journey with your companion has now become a lonely nightmare. You have no idea how your friend is holding out if they're even still alive. Oh yeah and your game doesn't end if your friend dies, you either find him alive and the game continues or you find his dead body and it's Game Over from there.

This is just one idea that I have, and I'd love to see a game take this gameplay concept of never knowing when the game will take you away from your partner. So instead of having a game where your partner is basically the barrier keeping you from feeling scared, the game puts a barrier between you both and they now become your only source of hope and you won't know if they'll be alive the next time you find them.

So what do you guys think?

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